


Technicality

by misbehavingvigilante



Series: Language [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 16:39:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7471200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misbehavingvigilante/pseuds/misbehavingvigilante
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or the one where Jack Morrison doesn't really lie but uses technicalities instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Technicality

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, this one took a while with my chronic illnesses kicking my ass. Anyways, the next one will probably take a while too so you can't say I didn't warn you. 
> 
> This is the companion piece to King so if you haven't read that this might be a little confusing to you. Anyways, the next time I write for this series, it should finally be a sequel. 
> 
> Once again, I'm not fluent with Spanish so there are likely some mistakes. You have my apologies for that, but I like using the language in these fics, and it's good practice. 
> 
> **/Edit/ Once more thanks to the gracious[Chiwibel](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiwibel/pseuds/Chiwibel) for correcting the Spanish in this fic. **
> 
> Shoutout to [KarasuNei](http://archiveofourown.org/users/KarasuNei/pseuds/KarasuNei) for encouraging me to post this. I almost deleted it a few times, and I still don't feel the best about it, but here it is anyways. 
> 
> Anyways, the translations to the Spanish used can be found by hovering over the text, or at the end notes.

“Did you hear that Jones got kicked out for fraudulent enlistment?”

That caught Jack’s attention, though it meant he was eavesdropping a bit. The wide tables at basic made that a more than common occurrence so he couldn’t really be blamed for accidentally overhearing the conversation.

Though he didn’t know the person who was speaking, he’d seen them a couple of times but he couldn’t recall a name. Considering the number of soldiers in basic training outnumbered the people in his hometown, Jack doubted he’d be able to remember them all.

Still, it gave him a reason to listen in for hopes someone would call their last name, and he’d have a name to the face.

“Shit. You serious, Williams?” The solider asking name was named Carter. Jack had talked to him once or twice, as they both had come from Indiana and it had been a point of bonding between them.

“Yep. Lied about an old injury, she said she forgot to mention it but.” Williams shrugged deeply, a few strands of her tightly bound black hair had come out of place through the day.  “Apparently they was enough. Sort of scary a little lie can ruin a career like that.”

A part of Jack wanted to mention that since for female soldiers it was a requirement to keep their hair in place if it was beyond a certain length. In basic, there was a little bit more room to fail at it when it was new to you, but it was expected to be corrected nonetheless.

Another part of him grew a little anxious. Jack hadn’t necessarily lied on his enlistment documents, but there was a bit of gray area there. It could be reasoned it was an omission, though the form had used language that wasn’t comprehensive enough to cover all its bases.

It had used the word spoken, when it asked the applicants if they knew any second languages and had another section altogether, if English was someone’s second language. Jack had left it blank despite knowing a second language because he didn’t speak it.

If he had to prove how he didn’t speak Spanish, it was likely it would fall in his favor. His Midwestern tongue completely butchered the language beyond recognition for even native speakers to understand what he was saying.

So really, the technicality of the situation should protect him.

“Hey, Williams.”

Expectedly, she turned to him, her eyes raised a little in confusion, likely trying to place his name as well. “Yeah?”

“Your hair’s out of place.” He said gently with a warm smile so it wouldn’t come off as him being patronizing.

“Oh.” She blinked. “Thanks. And thank you so much, Carter for not pointing that out. I don’t want to get slammed for this again.”

“I didn’t pay attention when they went over female hair requirements, sorry.”

Williams rolled her eyes, and went to fix her hair. “So why did you…?”

“Morrison.” Jack filled in. “My oldest sister joined the military with waist length hair before chopping it all off faced with the all the rules and regulations it had.”

It had turned into a huge argument when his mother had found out upon the whole family attending her graduation. Jack remembered it despite being rather young at the time because after that his sister hadn’t really visited much, always using her service as an excuse not to come home.

“Ah. Is she hot?”

Jack blushed, it felt awkward to hear that about his sister. Not only that Williams looked around his age, which wasn’t unusual most people in basic were around eighteen. Though there were a few older than that. “Uh… she’s like twelve years older than me.”

“An older woman, cool. Where is she stationed?”

“Oh my god.”

“I’d lay off of Morrison.” Carter said coming to his rescue. “He’s from a small town in Indiana, not a big city like me. You’re probably frying his brain lusting after his sister like that.”

That was enough for the conversation to be steered elsewhere which Jack had been grateful for.

 

 

 

Graduation day had come before he knew it.

Jack didn’t know where the time had gone, just the other day it seemed like his first day and now weeks had passed. After this, he’d face a new assignment. He was itching to leave this city, he didn’t outright hate it. In truth, he rarely hated anything, but it just hadn’t felt right.

He hoped that Williams and Carter would be with him wherever he ended up next, but that wasn’t guaranteed, they could at least try and keep in touch.

The weather had been nice, though much of the graduation ceremony had taken place inside despite it. After they’d been released, they’d been free to check in with their families.

It was easier said than done, despite the wide pathways which could accommodate the extra traffic as it regularly had soldiers in formation going across them, there was a mile or two of just pathways interconnecting all the building on the base with one another.

“Fue bonito mientras duró.” A passing solider said under their breath passing him by. From the brief profile had of them before they faded out, Jack was pretty sure their name was Díaz but he wasn’t one hundred percent sure.

He did agree with the sentiment, though. While he was happy to see his family again, or the family of his that could make the trip, he was a bit anxious to do so.

Unbeknownst to the rest of his family, he had something in common with his sister.

It tied into the real reason his mother had gone off of her that day, taking her haircut as the last straw in her suspicions that she had raised a child that wasn’t straight.

It was silly to assume hair had anything to do with orientation, but his mother hadn’t actually been wrong. And the rift had been formed that day, and never gone away since.

 

 

 

The weekend goes by without a hitch, but it takes Jack several days to unwind from the stress. It makes the move to another base more trouble than it would have been because of it.

Ultimately, he’s still happy about the move. Because it’s a different city that he could learn to love as he’s supposed to be here for a while unless his orders changes. And Carter may have been sent across the country, but Williams had at least been able to join him here.

It’s probably the leftover exhaustion from the stress that has his body’s reaction times a bit off that lands him running into one of the support beams of the overhangs. Or at least, part of the reason.

Jack surprisingly doesn’t see any stars, but the impact still leaves him woozy and off balance.

“What the hell, Morrison?” Williams is at his side, propping him up despite being several inches slower than him, she’s very strong.

Thankfully there weren’t that many people around to witness his blunder, even so there were enough for him to hear a few snickers. Maybe Jack would get lucky and this wouldn’t spread around base.

“I… uh… haven’t been sleeping well?”

It’s not really a lie because it has been hard to sleep with his muscles in knots, and his mind racing more than normal. It’s a believable excuse because they’re friends and she does buy it.

“Your head is really red from the impact.”

Yep, it was definitely red from the impact alone, not because he’d seen an incredibly hot guy and that was the other part of the reason he ended up running into a pole for.

Not at all.

 

 

 

Jack runs into the hot guy – Reyes – a few days later in the courtyard.

The introduction part of their conversation goes rather well despite the fact he appears to be bothering Reyes. Jack isn’t oblivious, he’s aware that he can be a little too much for people to handle.

He tries not to be, he doesn’t really like making people uncomfortable or like they can’t talk to him but it still happens. Chances are he’s even worse today because it’s Reyes.

He’d gotten a glimpse at the man the other day, but up close Reyes was even more handsome. He was entirely smitten despite this being their first conversation so he couldn’t stop smiling or being in a good mood.

Of course, Jack goes and almost ruins that by calling out Reyes for using Spanish.

He doesn’t hear the full sentence, but makes out the first part. "Tiene una..." 

It’s not a surprise given Reyes is clearly a native speaker with how fast and natural he speaks the language. Jack immediately wants to hear Reyes speak more Spanish, but it doesn’t happen because now he’s made him curious.

“You speak Spanish?”

Awkwardly, Jack managed a reply. “Uh, no.” And as if that wasn’t clear enough, he has to add because he babbles when he’s nervous. “I don’t speak Spanish, at all. Sorry.”

That answer makes Reyes’ eyebrows furrow once more in annoyance, and a dark look enters his beautiful brown eyes.

Jack has no idea what he did wrong, so he compliments Reyes instead about how it’s great he’s bilingual. It seems to do the trick, because the rest of their conversation goes on without a hitch.

With that, Jack considered them friends. For all it really took for him to consider someone his friend is one successful conversation that went moderately well.

 

 

 

As such, he treated Reyes like he did each other he was friends with. Whenever he saw Reyes, which was a bit regularly much to Jack’s liking, he made sure Reyes knew he acknowledged him.

With brief conversation if they were walking towards the same place and Reyes didn’t seem too busy with his friends.

“Reyes.” Jack called out with a smile upon seeing the other man.

“Cada día.” Reyes said with a sigh as the blond approached him. He figured he might as well say something back or Morrison would pout or keep calling his name. And god, did he not have the patience to deal with that. “Morrison.”

Jack had been about to answer that before he saw Díaz, he blinked for a moment. He hadn’t known they were friends, and it felt rude not to say something to them as well. “Díaz.” He greeted, in not as warm or excited tone as he had with Reyes, but still it was friendly.

However, that one greeting caused confusion. Díaz had been the first one to voice it, turning to Reyes as they spoke. “¿Él sabe quién soy?”

Suspicion replaced confusion on Reyes’ face, and Jack didn’t like to look of it. It reminded him of the first time they spoken and how that conversation had almost gone south.

Jack almost replied, but bit his tongue at the last second. If Reyes had found out he understood Spanish when he’d gone through such effort to make it clear he didn’t speak the language, chances are this forming friendship between them would die a quick death.

Thankfully, his internal turmoil must not have showed because Reyes translated for him. “You know Díaz?”

“We went to basic together.” Jack said maybe louder than necessary in his defense because he was growing nervous. “I try to remember everyone’s names even if we don’t really speak. I was raised that way. Like how I know you hang out with Castillo but that’s more because Castillo really likes to hear himself speak, and then there’s someone else called Valdez? But I’m probably saying their names wrong, and if I am, I am really sorry.”

“Él está muy rojo.”

Yeah, that sounds about right. Jack had an awful habit of flushing when he got nervous or upset, it made things really awkward in the past, so he wasn’t looking forward to what might happen next. 

“Puedo ver eso.” Despite that comment Reyes seemed to have taken mercy on him, though. There’s a hand on his shoulder, firm and strong that Jack finds very grounding in what was a stressful situation. It’s even more so accompanied by the softest he’s heard Reyes’ voice so far. “Relax, Morrison.”

Whatever conversation they could have after that is ended by the appearance of Anderson calling him over. Vaguely, Jack remembered making a promise to help his friend out about something, the specifics aren’t coming to him right now but he had promised.

Reyes took that as his cue to take his leave and Díaz trailed behind him.

His smile is tight but he directed at Anderson all the same, maybe it was for the best they were interrupted, Jack really hadn’t known what else to say to Reyes.

At least, his freakout had managed to salvage their relationship instead of ending it.

 

 

 

It’s not very long after that, that he and Reyes have an enlightening conversation over lunch about siblings. Well, not his own. Jack doesn’t steer the conversation towards his own because it’s clear Reyes had needed to vent.

And it’s probably for the best, because after that they grow closer.

Reyes no longer seems as annoyed around him, and they even start to get to know each other friends.

So Jack is even more smiley than usual for the first couple of days afterwards.

 

 

 

“I mean, I don’t really know where to eat in the city. But I just thought since we both have the time off, we could go together?”

Reyes give him a long stare.

“What?” Jack asked. “I’m being honest.”

“I know. You’re such a boy scout. I bet you couldn’t even tell a lie.”

The fact that Reyes spoke that sentence so certain made Jack feel a little guilty. He hadn’t technically lied after all, but there was still a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Apparently it showed given Reyes’ next comment.

“You look sick. Did you eat something that didn’t agree with you? I’ve warned you about the rice.”

That was true, it was an earlier conversation they had just yesterday when Jack been invited to eat lunch with Reyes alongside his friends. He hadn’t spoken much, given much of the conversation had taken place in Spanish so there wasn’t a lot for him to say until someone spoke in English.

But what had been made rather clear was that Reyes was a bit of food snob so Jack called him on it. “You just don’t like the rice because you said it’s seasoned for shit. And that your baby sister could cook better and she caught a pan on fire once.”

“That’s because she forgot about it.” Reyes said, quick to defend his baby sister even from Morrison, who he had admittedly become friends with. “They manage to burn and undercook it at the same time… no sé cómo.”

“Right so that doesn’t really fix our dinner dilemma.”

“I will take you some place that doesn’t serve shitty rice. You don’t get cry if the food is too spicy for your delicate senses, though. Or I will refuse to be seen with you.”

“You would miss me.” Jack might have been going out on a limb here, but it seemed that way.

“Quizás pero tú no necesitas saber eso.”

Having to cover up a goofy grin along with a blush by coughing exaggeratedly into his elbow didn’t make him look good, but it seemed to convince Reyes he was sick instead of overwhelmed by his words.

“At least that spice will probably clear up whatever the hell is wrong with you.” Reyes gestured towards Morrison. “You better not get me sick-“

“Or you’ll never forgive me, right?”

“Shut up, Morrison before I make you eat by your damn self.”

**Author's Note:**

> “Fue bonito mientras duró.” – It was nice while it lasted.  
> “Tiene una..” – He has a…  
> “Cada día.” – Every day.  
> “¿Él sabe quién soy?” - He knows who I am?  
> “Él está muy rojo.” – He is very red.  
> “Puedo ver eso.” – I can see that.  
> “…no sé cómo.” – …I don’t know how.  
> “Quizás pero tú no necesitas saber eso.” – Perhaps, but you don’t need to know that.


End file.
